Rail-joint.



f P.' RICHARDS & W. D. ZEHNDER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLIUATION FILED 1111.13.1903.

909, 1 1 8. Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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Qfctvafzfwg F. H. RICHARDS & W. D. ZEHNDER.

RAIL JOINT.

APPLICATION FILED APR.9,1903.

909, 1 1 8. v Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

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Richards',

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE, l

FRANCIS H. RICHARDS, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, AND WILLIAM D. ZEHNDER, OF

SCRAN TON PENN SYLVAN IA.

RAIL-J OIN T.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application led April 9, 1903. Serial No. 151,733.

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known. thatwe, FRANCIS H. RICH- ARDs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, and WILLIAM D. ZEHN- DER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Scranton,v in the county of Lackawanna and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rail-Joints, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention pertains to means for securing together the contiguous ends of parts suchas rails, and it relates'especially to that class of railway joints in which one or more, ordinarily two, side or fish plates are bolted or clamped together against the opposite sides and at the abutting ends of consecutive corresponding nut the cross-section of whose thread or threads is so designed as to create when the nut is in a clamping position on the bolt actions and reactions analogous to a very large extent to thoseexisting in the ordinary lock nut device, and'which when the `latter device 1s properly constructed and used arecloselyconnected withl its efficient and satlsfactoryo eration. To this end the clamping bolt or bo ts of the present joint and the nuts engaged therewith are provided with such a form of thread as is best calculated to produce in the metal of the bolt and the nut, strainsand stresses like in kind to those existing in a holding nut and its coperating check nut, considered as a Whole. Com bined with such holding bol/6s also, is aside or fish plateon each side of the railsat the joint, which plates when forced together by the tightening of the nuts upon the respective bolts serve to bring the rail ends into as close alinement as may be.

' With respect to the form of thread capable of producing results hereinbefore adverted to, we have adopted such` a configuration of thread as disclosed in our application hereinbefore referred to, in which tit-e thread surface, although extending spirally from lend to end of the threaded section of the of the atter constituting a surface acting like a wedge with reference to the contacting surface of the encircling'nut.

As a further structural feature of the bolt bolt, is yet, nevertheless,inclined to the axisand nut utilized in the present joint, al-

the bo t, the best resu tsbeing obtained byl making thevpitch of the thread of the nut slightl greater than that of the thread on the bo t. In the event that such a difference of pitch shall exist between the bolt and its nut there is further provided on the former a surface which, although likewisel extending spirally along the bolt, is .more nearly normal to the axis thereof. The function which it is intended to perform^ is in the nature of an abutment or stop face for reducing the reaction involved m the fulfill) clined faceof its proper function.

The drawings which accompan the present specification illustrate a rai joint com rising side or fish plates adapted to over ap and be clam ed against the sides of the abutting ends ofp'the rails by bolts and `nuts in whosel construction there are embodied the vfeatures hereinbefore referred to, and these drawings set forth, furthermore,

the principle or method in accordance with which the two parts ofthe fastening device comprising a bolt and nut, coperate with each other to produce conditions analogous to those revalling in a three-part, or ordinary chec or lock-nut fastening device.

In these drawings, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional perspective view, the plane of the sec* tion being somewhat removed from the plane of the abutting surfaces of the rail ends and corres onding to the cross -sectional lane which) passes through one of the bolt oles in the web of the rail. Fig. 2 is an eievation, upon a somewhat larger scale, of the bolt indicated in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is an end view of such bolt. Fig. 4 isl a similar view of a nut adapted to engage with the threaded section of the bolt of Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an axial section of such nut. Fig. 6 is a view mainly in longitudinal section of a conventional form of bolt with which there is engagged an ordinary holding nut which is assumed to be firmly clamped against the parts ment by said in- I function and relation of various surfaces.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 6, illustrating combined with the various parts set forth in the latter figure, the additional feature of a 'check nut which is assumed to have been screwed sufficiently tight against the holding nut to enable it to perform its intended urpose. Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view o an ordinary V-thread with, which fastening bolts are usually provided. Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the threaded portion of the im roved bolt and also of its nut, the latter being illustrated in a position in which it has been screwed part way on the bolt, and the figure being drawn on a much enlarged scale. Fig. 10 is a view similar to Fig. 9, only a portion of the bolt and the engaged nut being indicated, while the thread of the two is drawn on a considerably larger scale. Figs. .11 and 12 areviews similar to Fig. 10, FiO'. 11 showing the parts in a position in which the nut has been just brought into contact with the face of one of the parts (the work), against which the nut is eventually clamped, yand Fig. 12 illustrating the parts after a considerable pressure has been exerted u on the nut to screw it home to its final posltion. Fig. 13 sets forth force or pressure diagrams of the pressure normal to the inclined face` ol' the thread and also the pressure exerted by the encircling end normal to the axis of the bolt, the two parallelograms illustrating the com ositions of forces (with a given backward thrust ofthe` nut) for both the ordinary bolt thread and the thread `adapted for use in the present clamping'bolts. Fig. 14 is a sectional View illustrating the bolt comprising one of the features of the resent joint,

and with the threaded portion of which there engages a properly formed lnut, this latter being shown in .the position just before it is brought into engagement with the face of the work in tightening up the device; and Fig. 15 is a view similar to Fig. 14 but indicates the slight deformation of the thread from the nut being screwed home.

Similar characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all figures.

1n order to lead to a full understanding of the mode of operation involved in the use of the bolt element of the present ljoint, the ordinary check or lock nut is set forth in a conventional way, see Fig. 7,-to which reference may be made, as also to Fig. 6, in which the holding nut only is assumed to be forced down upon the face of the work preparatory to the engagement of the outer or locking;- nut with the thread of the bolt. For the 1lurpose of reference the work in these two gures is designated in a general way by B, While the bolt is similarly designated by C and the holding nut by D.

Whenthe nut upon screwing the same down on vthe bolt cornes into engagement with the face of the work and is thereupon forcibly turned around to bring the shoulder-forming head c of the bolt into firm engagement with the work (the inner face of the nut simultaneously pressing more and more firmly against the opposite face thereof) the tendency of the reaction manifesting itself as a backward thrust of the nut is to force the same more and more firmly against that spiral face of the thread on the bolt which faces forwardly, that is which faces toward the surface of the Work against which the nut bears and simultaneously with this backward thrust to relievejthe rearwardly facing spiral surface of the thread on the bolt from pressure. The release of this latter face from the pressure of the nut is indicated by# the separation of the surfaces, this separation being somewhat eX- aggerated to more clearly illustrate the action taking place, see lthe spaces 2 between the rearwardly-facing spiral face 3 of the bolt and the opposite s iral face 4 of the nut. When the nut has een forced down firmly against the work this relief of the rearwardly-facing surface of the bolt will have been occasioned to an appreciable amount.

Such are the conditions prevailing when the holding nut is forced down upon the work and before the outer or lock-nut is brought j into play.

Referring to Fig. 7, in which the outer or lock-nut E is assumed to have been screwed down tightly against the holding nut D, it is evident that there will arise as the check nut is screwed home, a tendency from the compression applied by the outer nut, supplemented by the elongation of the bolt, to relieve the forwardly-facing spiral surface of the thread of the bolt from the pressure ofthe inner or holding nut and to transfer such pressure to the opposite or rearwardly-facing surface of the bolt thread; such infact will ordinarily be the result, the outer or check nut then approximating to the condition of the inner or holding nut before the former has been applied. 'lhe condition of the two nuts under these circumstances is indicated in Fig. 7, in which the pressure-subjected surface of the thread within the outer or check nut faces in the same direction as the pressuresubjected surface of the thread of the holding nut in Fig. 6, while the pressure on the thread within the bore of the inner or holding nut of Fig. 7 is against the oppositely-inclined surface.- The directions of the action and reaction called into play by the mutual clam ing of the inner and outer nuts are indicated by the arrows adjacent to those parts in Fig. 7.

Referring again to Fig. 6, it is evident that the entire length of the bolt from the shoulder-forming head c thereof to the center of eHort exerted by the nut is under tension,

While as compared with this comparatively aan@ "great length 'undertension when the check nut is screwed againstthe inner nut, only that length of the bolt is under la tensile 'stress which 'lies between the centers of effort acting in opposite directions of the two nuts. l It is therefore evident that 'the holdring nut 'and the check nut considered gas an inte ral structure, or as a whole, create Withina ength bounded by the outer face of the outer 'nut and the inner face ofthe inner nut action and reaction of a tensile nature longitudinally `of the axis of the bolt which puts that portion of the bolt under a tension which is maintained by the pressure between the contiguous faces of 'the two nuts. This p "mutua'lp'ressure resists the turning of either 'tion.

nut upon the bolt; this `resista-nce to turning is further augmentedby the friction of the inner face of the inner nut against the faceof the Work against which it is forced, not only initially W'henrscrewed home on the bolt but also by the pressure exerted thereagainst by the oute'r or check nut. It is 'true that the orton of the 'bolt between the shoulderorming -headl vc and the inner nut v'is' also under tension by reason of the screwing down of the latter, but the stress to which this portion is subjected is independent of "and additive to the 'tension existing in the bolt between the two nuts, as aforesaid.

The same conditions are established in each bolt comprised in the present joint by means o'f a single nut. as compared with two, which single 'nut u on being engaged with the thread of the ollt may thereupon be turned down against the face of the Work, the resultant. conditions of stress and strain, action and reaction being brou ht about by a peculiar conformation 'of t e engaging threads.

With regard lto the particular species of thread adopted by us, it v' ill comprise a spiral surface which is inclined tothe axis 'of the bolt anda spiral surface which is preferably substantially normal to suchaxis, as fully set forth in -our hereinbefore referred to applica- In the nut and bolt construction illustrated the bolt is designated in a general way ,by C', and the nut is similarly designated by D; the inclined surface of the thread of the bolt is designated by 5 and the vertical surface of the thread by l3". It will be noted that such inclined surface is a forwardly-'facing one, that is it faces toward the shoulderforrning head of the bolt, while the vertical portion of the thread faces in the opposite di.

rection.` It is this inclined portion orsurface 'of the thread that constitutes the friction surface against which the corresponding ,por-

tion'of the thread in the nut presses and by reason of the consequent frictionalresistance to the turning of the nut, aids in preventing the latter from loosening.

A 'In bolts provided with the ordinary Ithread, one-elghth of the -pitch' of the 'thread 'is vo'ftentir'nes turned o" at the top of the thread, while another eighth of the pitch is filled in vat the bottom of the thread, this leaving but six -1ei' hths of the pitch devoted to the 'incline surfaces lof the thread. When the nut is Linderthe pressure of the reaction exerted 'by the Work or -ifa check nut be used vwith the `holding nut, but onehalf v'of this six-eight'hs, or three-eig'hths is effective as a friction sirface. As compared with such a proportion it ris contemlated 1in t'he practical vuse o'f the bolts herein described that a form of thread shall be employed lfor the threaded portions of the connected arts such that a greater 'fraction of the pitc 'of the thread shall be ap ropriated to the friction-exerting, nut-hol ing surface. ln some cases i't may be I o'ssible to make sich fraction at least five-eig ths of the itch, that 'is five-eighths of the entire inclosed olt area. Moreover, assuming thata given reaction is l"exerted by the work tending to press the nutoutwardtoward the end of the olt, a greater pressure is exerted upon the inclined surface ofthe thread of ithe bolt of the present joint as com ared with Athe in- This is 'i111 stra'ted'inthe twoV diagrams of ig.

13, in which the linew represents the relative inclination of the strface of the V-thread, `at

#the corres ending Asurface r of the 4present senting the fpresstfre normal to the srface lof the V-thread is considerably less than the length 4of the diagonal r representing thecorresponding press-1re normal to the s"rface ofthe present thread; that is to say, for a given clamping "force against the work a 'pressi re of comparatively greater amount is exerted'r'pon the inclined s' rface of the resent thread as compared with 'that to W .ich the inclined surface of the V-thread is subjected; hence the frictional resistance to turning dre to the friction of the inclined s"rfaces is mrch greater in the resent instance thanwith the V form of `t iread. It should be mentioned, however, that for a given depth of thread this pressure is exerted -over a larger area of srface in the present securing the matting ends of consecutive rails, the other elements associated therewith'will be referred to. One of the rails to whose end portion the device is clamped is indicated in the drawing and designated in a general way by B2. The form of rail illistrated is that commonly employed for railway tracl's at the present day. Upon opposite sides of the rail and overlapping thei joint between consecnuve rails are side or ish plates H, Il, each adapted to bear against the web of the railand having, in the 1 s'ial 'I form of such iish plates, the bottom laterallyprojecting lange h. The web of the rail is provided with s'` itable openings for the passage of the bolt C2, any desired proper n1 mi: er of the same being 1 sed at each rail end. These bolts are of sufficient length to provide projecting ends when thrl st throrwh 1 theopenlngs in the rail web for the nt ts t0 1e engaged with them and screwed 'up onjthe liplts to clamp'the iish plates securely in ace. Each bolt having a head l is indicated as also having a portion Z in the nat1 re of Aan f elongated hub or bess which tits into a non- Cil circi lar opening in one ofthe fish plates, tlu s preventing the bolt from tiirning when the nLt is screwed up to clamp the parts together.

Althorgh not considered essential in every instance, a f1 rthcr feattre may characterize the constrl ction ol the bolt and nrt 1 sed,v

and as hercinlLcfore described, s'. ch featrre relates to the comparative pitches of the` thread on the lolt and the thread onthe nrt. The pitches of the two threads may differ from each other, although to a very slight extent, that of the nrt thread being ordinarily made greater than that of the bolt thread, this dill`erence however, being within s1 ch limits as do not prevent the nrt from being r1 n l p on the holt rpon, the application nol" reasonable force. '.lhe direct eil'ect of this dill'erencc in pitch between the engaged parts is to force the inclined. srface of consecrtive convohtions ol" the thread Within the n1 t 1 p onto the inclined s' rface of the thread on the lolt, progresslvely more and l more from thc front or worl -contacting face of the n1.t towards the o 'ipesite or .rear face thereof. 'lhe reaction wluch ea1 ses the nut threads to ascend, as it were, the inclined thread s'. rface of the lzolt is taken by that portion of the vertical sl rface of the thread on the bolt adjacent to the corresponding s'.rface at the front end of the nrt and which contacts therewith. This contact will only occur adjacent to the front'portion of the nut, since by reason of the discrepancy between the two pitches the vertical portion of the thread on the nut will gradually more and more separate from the vertical portion of the thread on the bolt as more and more of the convolutions intervene between the front portion oli the nut and portions toward l its rear face; this greater and greater pressure between the inclined surfaces is progress# ively exerted.

'lfrorn the foregoing description it Will be apparent that the conditions prevailing and reactions sulsisting in a nut and bolt so formed, when the former has been fully run reactions, etc., existing in a bolt having holding and cheek nuts engaged with the thread thereof. Thts at the front portion of the Enut the press-re is forwardly against. the rearwardly-facing (vertical) surface of the nut thread, as in the holding nut of l ig. 7, while adjacent to the rear portion of the nut the presszre is exerted against th'e opposite or inclined face of the thread, as in l ig. 7, in which the pressure is exerted against the similarly facing surfaces of the loclt or check nut thread. lndeed the absolute pitches of the threads and the difference in such pitches may be sich as to produce actions and reactlons between vthe surfaces. and stresses and strains in the material of the nut and j bolt, not only like in kind but substantially eq1 ivalent in amount to those created in the holding and locking device of l ig. 7, even before the nut embraced in the present joint shall have been brought u into contact with the face of the work. llt should yalso be stated, in fnrther'explanation, that the nut is subjected to a compressive strain when the parts are engaged like the nuts D, E, of l ig. 7, while the metal of the bolts in both instances is subjected to tensile strain.

While the vcross-sectional form of the respective threads of the bolt and nut may be jas ilh strated, that` is substantially alike The stresses to which the/metal is subject-ed of course have a tendency to modify the act-ions inherent, in the formation and relation of the parts andes ecially to increase the length (longitt dina ly of the bolt) of the area over which contact exists betweenVV the opposed inclined surfaces, a len thening which increases in proportion to t e force req1ired to turn the n1. t rp on the bolt. In fact, such tendency will increase to an exltent, es ecially under heavy work, as to ultimatey bring the entire portion of the l surfaces into bearing engagement.

In practice, of co1l rse, and especially under heavy di t the pecrliar phenomena are accompanier by the shifting of v'ariors portions of the two masses of metal. This of course 5 angles o which may under a high pressure flow into the spaces adjacentJ to the vertical portion of the thread more or' less approximately filling the same andmodifying therefore the cross-sectional contour of the thread.

the same pitch than ordinary threads, the diameter of the `bolt at the base `of the thread is considerably larger for the same nominal size of bolt. This tends to give a greater strength in the bolt and would call for a longer threaded portion and also for a longer nut to match the increased strength of the bolt itself. Of course the longer the bolt and nut of a given diameter the less dierence in pitch u ill be required between their threads. Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a rail joint, the combination of side plates adapted to be clamped to the sides of the rail ends, and a. two-part fastening device one of whose parts has an abutment at one end for engaging one of said plates, and a spirally disposedsurface at 'the' other end .facing said abutment and inclined to the line of thrust and an oppositely-facin spirally disposed reaction surfaceof relative y less inclination to said line of thrust', and the other of Whose parts constitutes an abutment for engaging the other'ofI said lates and is -provided with a pair of spiral y disposedpressure-exerting surfaces corresponding and opposed to said reaction surfaces when the two parts of the device are interen aged, the reaction surface of the lesser inc ination being` of relatively greater width than the corres onding pressure-exerting surface whereby `t e said other part presses in axially opposite directions on the first mentioned part during engagement therewith. l

' 2. ln a rail joint, the combination ofside plates adapted to be clamped to thesidis of the rail ends, and a bolt having a head at one end, and at the other-end a thread having the side facing the head inclined to the Illine of l thrust and an oppositely-facing reaction surface of relatively less inclination to said line,

Since the wedge thread used thepresent construction is somewhat shallower when of.

and a nut provided with a corresponding pitch between the engaged parts being effective to force the inclined surface of consecunut up on the inclined surface of the thread on the bolt, progressivelyy more and more from the work-contacting face vof the nut towards the opposite face thereof.

3. A two part fastening device ,one of engaging one side of the part to be fastened and a spirally disposed surface at the other end facing said abutment and inclined tothe rally disposed reaction surface of relatively other of Whose parts constitutes an abutment for engaging the other side of said ypart posed pressure-exerting surfaces corresponding. and opposed to said reaction lsurfaces when the twoparts of the device are interengaged, the reaction surface of the lesser inthan the corresponding pressure exerting surface whereby the said other part presses in 4axially opposite directions on the first meriltioned part during engagement therewit 4. A bolt having a head at one end, and at the other end a thread having the side facing thehead inclined to the line of thrust, and an FRANCIS n. RICHARDS. i

Witnesses: j

,. FRED. J. DOLE,

.JOHN O..SE1FERT.

thread of greater pitch, the difference in line of thrust and an oppositely-facing spi-4 less inclination to said line of thrust, and the.

and is provided with a' pair of spirally, disclination being of relatively greater width' oppositely facing reaction surface of rela` tive convolutions of fthe thread within the l ego whose parts has an abutment at one end for WILLIAM Di'ZEI-INDER. 

